Are you Cruising for a Cause? Have you Volunteered while Cruising?

[Travis McGee]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

There's a hospital in Port Vila that could use window screens to keep out the malarial mosquitoes.
Ann

Great idea! Rolls of screening cost little, are light, and easy to stow. They are easy to purchase here in the land of the big-box home improvement stores, but impossible to create or replace in isolated places. Life with and without screens in the tropics is night and day, both for comfort and for health. That idea is a keeper, and rolls of screening are now on my "get" list for my next trip to the islands.

[Pelagic]

Sometimes the gift has little practical value.
In the remote atolls of the Pacific with hardly any outside contact. A magical gift to the mothers was to take a Polaroid photo of their children and them. To watch their joy when it developed into a keepsake was priceless to both them and us

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

There was a short time when I was helping an Altzheimers patient feed themselves, but I don't find that I'm able to contribute to a community service such as this when I am constantly changing locations while cruising. I've considered this lack of opportunity to contribute a detriment to my cruising lifestyle, but I don't see a solution to the problem. I'm interested, but skeptical.

I hear you re: the difficulties of volunteering when your port is continually changing and your circumstances are in flux. I'm looking at volunteer opportunities in Panama right now and am having a hard saying with any degree of certainty "yes, I will be here and this is how much time I can give." We'll see how wellI do with this idea - depends on how well I can balance it with normal boat life.

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by Svdestiny

My hubby and I have been talking about volunteering lately. Well actually it started cuz We need more to do then work on the boat, travel, eat out, etc. my solution was learn to play guitar or another language....but my husband started researching into volunteering.

We are very wary of the known religious entities. We considered health care as i am an RN But my specialty won't help much in Guatemala ( but if u need sedating I'm your gal!)

So I'm interested in what others have done. I'm the lets get there and see what's needed type but my hubby's a plan ahead kind of guy.


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Our friends on SV Chrysalis volunteered at Mayan Families up near Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. They originally though they would be constructing houses and helping with preschool, but when it was discovered that Dave used to be a physical therapist they ended up needing those skills more. They opened up a PT clinic with very basic supplies and volunteered for 6 months. Did a world of good. I bet your nurses training would be very highly valued in some communities (your general medical knowledge...and who knows, maybe sedating as well ). I waver between "we'll see when we get there" and "let's plan ahead" - for me, personally, I find that if I don't do a little planning ahead tehn I just inevitably kick the can further down the road. We of course do nice things whenever possible for the communities where we land, but I'd like to sink in a bit during rainy season and work on some bigger projects with a community. All the best to you!

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by terminalcitygrl

It may be worthwhile choosing specific destinations and researching volunteer opportunities in those destinations in addition to asking here. I know I've read of cruisers helping clear invasive species in the South Pacific (?) and doing work at a bird sanctuary or collecting data on marine populations, I think I read somewhere Matt Rutherford is doing some research on the Pacific garbage patch?

Thanks for the intel! I've found some really interesting info on birding aboard and how you can contribute to large, longitudinal studies on seabird populations. I'll have to do a little sleuthing and find this Matt Rutherford fellow!

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by ben373

Check out msm.org.au I recently went to Vanuatu with them. Excellent mob.

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Thanks for the link!

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by Gadagirl

I'm not cruising yet but seasonally sailing. Each year for the past three I've raised money and participated in the Leukemia Cup Regatta National Capital Area

With good results Watch this and try not to cry or have hope,

That's powerful - sounds like an excellent cause.

[harmonysimone]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

One year a bunch of yachties transported boxes of school supplies donated by Kiwanis or Rotary in NZ, and took them to the outer island groups in Vanuatu. If you keep your ear to the ground, sometimes you can find something.

Others invest in medical supplies and donate them along the way at nurse's stations in the isolated areas. There are places who can use bandaids, triangle bandages, and on and on.

There's a hospital in Port Vila that could use window screens to keep out the malarial mosquitoes.

There are many opportunities, according to the wishes first of the inhabitants, and then one's own inclinations and pocketbook size.

Ann

Kiwanis and Rotary sound like great partners. Ideally I'd like to somehow have a "collective" ear so that more people can learn about and contribute to these excellent endeavors.

That's a fantastic idea to carry around extra window screens - simple, cheap, effective, but so valuable.

[harmonysimone]

Thanks for the responses everyone! This will be a very slow moving project for me since I live on my boat in Panama with very limited internet. If you learn of anything else or have any other thoughts to pass along, I would greatly appreciate it.

Right now I'm looking for volunteer opportunities in my area and have a few leads. The most reliable way to give of my time is cleaning the beaches where we land (so much TRASH!) My background and education is in water management and I'm very passionate about helping communities secure safe, potable water for their families. That requires a more long-term commitment, however, than I am usually able to give, unless of course I can hook up with a local group and hep with a piece of the puzzle.

We don't have much money, but we do have time!